Saved science fair projects:

This is a saved copy of the relevant third party website. We save only the first page of every project because we've found that the third party sites are often temporarily down.
We do not save all pages of the project because copyright belongs to the third party author.

Caution! Ants can bite and/or sting. Be very careful when conducting experiments and science projects with ants. Do not touch them! Adult supervision is required.

Ants are amazing creatures! Science projects and experiments with ants can help us to
understand more about them and to appreciate their role on our planet.

Experiment #1

Test the effects of temperature change on ants. You will need an ant observatory and some ants. You will also need a cooler or refrigerator large enough to place the ant observatory into.

Notice the activity of the ants as they move around at room temperature. Record the temperature. Now place the observatory in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up remove the observatory and notice how slowly the ants move. Ants move slower at colder temperatures. As the temperature goes up the ants will become more active.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions:

What are the effects of temperature change on ants? Why does this happen?

Experiment #2

Test the effect of light and darkness on ants. You may want to have two observatories for this experiment.

Place 25 ants into each observatory. Keep one observatory in the dark for a specified amount of time. Keep the other observatory in the light during the same time period. Note the differences in how much work has been done (tunnels dug, dirt mounds built, etc...) Draw conclusions based on your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions:

What are the effects of light and darkness on ants? Why do you think this is the case?

Experiment #3

Test the ants ability to dig tunnels in wet and dry sand. You will need to time the ants to see how long it takes to construct a tunnel a certain distance in your ant farm or observatory. You may also want to compare the stability of the tunnels the ants construct.

Place the ants into your observatory, or even a jar will work just fine, with wet sand and start timing them. As soon as they have built a tunnel 1 inch long, note the time. Shake the container and tap on the outside to test the stability of the tunnel. Now try placing the ants into the same container with dry sand. Time them in the dry sand. Test the stability of the tunnel. Compare your results and make conclusions based on your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions:

Which sand works better for building tunnels? Why do you think this is the case?

Experiment #4

Test the ants reaction to different foods.

Try placing different kinds of food into your observatory and see what the ants do. Do they prefer certain foods? Some good foods to try are sugar, salt, citrus fruit, green vegetables, meats, granola. Make conclusions based on the results of your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions:

What kind of foods do ants like/dislike? Why?

To help you with your project Life Studies offers the Ant Watcher Observatory. The Ant Watcher is shipped with ants so
it is all ready to setup and go (see picture below) It also includes sand, ant food, instructions,
and suction pipet. We are offering the Ant Watcher Observatory for just $9.95 For more
information about this great observatory Click Here.

Observatory Before Setup

After Setup

Item#....................................AW

Price..............................$9.95

Life Studies receives feedback from time to time of people who win 1st place prizes in science fairs with their ant projects. Life Studies has all the materials you need for a winning project whether you need an Ant Observatory a Instructional Video or Supplies for restocking your ant farm. Let us know if we can help you succeed.

You may also want to check out these great books full of science project ideas from start to finish. All are available online at discount prices.